Through the Slats

I slipped right past the cracked window frame and popped out onto the black metal fire escape! The city was humming down below, and right on the grating lay a dried maple seed pod with a little papery wing. I nudged it with the toe of my sneaker, grabbed the stem, and tossed it over the edge into the open breeze. It spun like a tiny green-brown helicopter blade, spiraling down towards the brick alley! I leaned between the wrought-iron bars on my tiptoes, tracking every single whirl until it landed on a parked bike seat below.